Texas Democrats Eye End to Bible Reading Mandate as 564-Vote Race Threatens GOP's 32-Year School Board Grip

Texas Democrats are on the verge of controlling the State Board of Education, and the whole majority rests on 564 votes in a single district.

Unofficial results show Democrats flipping three Republican seats to take an eight-to-seven edge on the 15-member board.

Democrats plan to revisit Republican curriculum work, including Bible-infused reading lessons. The tightest race could still go to a recount.

Three Seats Flip

Democrats flipped Republican-held seats in Districts 2, 6 and 8 in Tuesday's election and held Districts 4 and 5, according to unofficial Secretary of State results reported by The Texan. If they hold, the board will move from 11 Republicans and four Democrats to eight Democrats and seven Republicans when new members are sworn in at its 25 to 29 January 2027 meeting.

Thomas Ray Garcia took District 2 with 58 per cent. Michelle Palmer won District 6, the seat held by Republican Will Hickman, by about 10,000 votes over Tiffany Nelson.

District 8 is the closest contest. Democrat Dana Van De Walker received 300,108 votes to incumbent Republican Audrey Young's 299,544, a margin of 564 out of almost 600,000 ballots, The Texan reported.

The result remains unofficial. Young could request a recount, Texas Public Radio reported, but she did not respond when asked whether she would. Van De Walker said she was waiting for certification.

Bible Lessons in the Crosshairs

A Democratic majority would give the party sway over what Texas children learn. Democrats plan to revisit Republican-approved changes, though any reversal would require votes from the board, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Among the targets is Bluebonnet, a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade reading and language arts programme the board approved, which includes biblical teachings. It drew criticism for errors, and the Texas Tribune reported that fixing them cost taxpayers millions, according to TPR.

Bluebonnet is optional, but districts that adopt it receive extra funding. Houston ISD adopted the curriculum in June and gained more than £2.25m ($3m) in additional funding, TPR reported.

Republicans have vowed to fight back. Republican board member Brandon Hall said he would use every procedural tool available to slow any Democratic agenda.

A Wider Texas Shake-Up

The board result is part of a broader Democratic surge in Texas. Gina Hinojosa unseated Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday and, during her campaign, promised to remove Education Commissioner Mike Morath, TPR reported.

Republican control of the board had grown in recent years, with conservatives gaining a seat each cycle since 2020, according to TPR. Redistricting in 2022 helped Republicans take District 2, which Democrats had held for more than three decades. Democrats won it back this year.

Online, critics of the Bible lessons celebrated. When an account posted that Democrats had flipped the board and 'Bibles will no longer be forced inside classrooms', commentator Adam Mockler replied: 'Crazy how Republicans were the only people to actually do Sharia law.' His post drew more than 570,000 views.

Until District 8 is certified, the new majority remains provisional. The current board meets again from 16 to 20 November.

Republicans still held three seats on Tuesday. Incumbent Julie Pickren kept District 7, Kason Huddleston won District 9, and Mindy Bumgarner took District 14, The Texan reported. That leaves the party one seat short of a majority.